Thanks for the invite!

We have a spice store here in Phoenix called Saguaro Spice Company - they also sell online - and they sell spices in bulk. A pound of cumin is only $4.50 and they are not far from me. I am going to go over there betwen now and Xmas and get some Chorizo spice for my granddaughter. She loves Chorizo! I am so silly, I didn't know you just added the spice to ground pork or ground beef or even ground turkey, I suppose! I love going in there and smelling all the wonderful barrels full of spices. I did know that coriander was the seed of cilantro and we love cilantro so I should get some of that. I'm kind of a stick in the mud with my food - not that I am really picky, but I just eat the same things almost every day! lol I really don't even miss salt now - I just look at my daughter and granddaughter when they start sprinkling a ton of salt on food I've cooked!

And yes, MSG is a no-no too--it's bad for the fibro, and besides, it's SODIUM! LOL

Coriander is made from the seeds of cilantro, and it's got that same pungent quality but it's much sweeter, and works well with beef and rice dishes... Cumin and paprika are the main ingredients in chili powder, and I buy them separately and mix my own. I really don't like paprika on it's own, it's a very overpowering flavor, so it's better used as a garnish or in combo with another seasoning. And I use a bit of turmeric in a few things, like my split pea soup (a big caution on portions here, because of the potassium etc--but oh, it's SO good! LOL)... And turmeric is one of the main seasonings that's used in yellow mustard, gives it that lovely color--but there's a few other curry spices I do have to stay away from. One or two I haven't figured out yet, but saffron? No siree... No saffron rice for this kid. Greek and Indian restaurants are danger zones for this stuff, and saffron makes me quite sick, even if all I do is smell it! Go figure. It IS fun to experiment though, now that I've realized there's so much more to taste than salt! LOL

I'm not crazy about foods that HURT but I've been wanting to try kimchi... if I can find some that doesn't have shrimp in it! LOL It's another thing I'd have to measure portions on, but I'm curious... LOL

Kathy

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm! P.S. I looked up enthusiasm, and it says the root words mean God within... interesting...!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

I'll get the lingo sooner or later! lol My yogurt only has 80 mg of sodium for a 6 oz cup and I usually eat one or two of those a day - I will be careful on the greens! Thank you for the input. I use the lemon pepper from a local spice company and I don't think it has anything in it but lemon and pepper, but I sure will check that out with them. I think I will try some cumin and turmeric too - one of my friends has fibromyalgia and she has to be really careful with her diet and MSG or it causes her to have a lot of pain. Congratulations on your GFR getting better! Terri

GFR. Glomular Filtration Rate. Took me a while to get used to the terminology, too! LOL This is one that is going to be really important for you... it's basically the percentage of kidney function. Mine as of last report was up to 31 from 26...

Anemia is often a bit of a problem, but do be careful about the greens... they are all pretty high on the potassium content, so it's important to track that. If you can, cook in cast iron cookware, it's an easy way to add significant amounts of iron to your diet, especially if you make foods that are slightly acidic, like adding lemon juice to veggies, or making your own applesauce... or spaghetti sauce... but again, watch the potassium.

And be sure to read the labels on any seasoning mixes you purchase. I quit using commercially prepared lemon pepper when I realized that most of it has added SUGAR! I discovered that most commercially prepared seasoning mixes are the same, and...Who needs that??

Now I use real lemons and my pepper mill... and real garlic, and real onions, and the flavor is SO much better, too! LOL AND, there are a whole lot of seasonings out there that I didn't even KNOW about until I had to find a way to replace the salt! LOL Coriander. Dill. Nutmeg...

I found some wonderful new ways to use old favorites too--like cooking chicken with cinnamon and a bit of orange juice!... mmm...

I'm surprised at the yogurt, though. Dairy products are on a severe limit for most of us on renal diets. It's very high in sodium, potassium AND phosphorus--all no-nos! I'm "allowed" no more than 8 oz a day. Last I heard, Mary doesn't do THAT much! Of course, some days there's no dairy at all, and other days, I go over... but it balances out pretty well. This is one of the things you could use help with from a renal nutrition specialist. They are trained to look at your lab readings and determine the optimum intake on these things for you specifically, since it IS different for each of us, depending on which parts of the kidney function are most affected. Once they set the levels, we tweak things to fit our circumstances...

...and personally? I'd rather be a bit ahead of the game. In my book, it's better to err on the side of caution than risk further damage. I plan on being around a LONG time--! LOL

Most nephrologists have no problem offering a referral for this. Just call and ask...

I'm looking forward to seeing how successful you can be. When is the next "health radar" reading?

Kathy

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm! P.S. I looked up enthusiasm, and it says the root words mean God within... interesting...!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

Well, I did see my kidney doc today and things are staying steady. My GFD (?) is still 38% and I had no protein in my urine. I am a little anemic and he said eat some liver and onions since I love them and add spinach and greens whenever I can. I asked him about the pain in my back and he said the same thing you did, Kathy. Says it would show up as serious pain probably, along with fevers and such. And yep! I sure do know about the BS when I am sick! lol I try really hard to limit sodium and they watch my potassium carefully as well. My Vitamin D levels are 64 which are good he said. That was a relief as I believe the Vitamin D helps with my Diabetes too. He said keep taking the 5000 mg if I want to. I don't add salt to any food I eat and haven't for a couple of years now. I only use pepper and some garlic powder for seasoning. Sometimes lemon pepper. I do use the Nutrition tracker to keep my carbs at around 125 to 150 a day. I eat a lot of yogurt - the CarbMaster brand from Krogers is only 4 gm of carbs and when I am craving a treat I will put some graham cracker crumbs covered with one yogurt and a serving of Lite Cool Whip and call it my "pie" lol I will be following all your suggestions for this newest blip on my health radar! Terri

It's been my experience that usually lower back pain is not your kidneys... your kidneys are actually higher up than most people think, they are located just under the ribs on either side. Lower back pain can on rare occasions radiate from the kidneys, but that is usually in the case of an infection or other ailment, and will show up in other ways as well.

You'll be sick.

And, as a diabetic, you know what any infection does to your blood sugar, right? LOL

One of the things you need to do at this particular stage is drink LOTS of water. I drink from eight to twelve 8 oz glasses a day. And you need to watch the potassium and sodium intake. Please, do set up your nutrition tracker to watch these two nutrients--and if you need help doing any of this, don't hesitate to ask, okay?

Also, until you can get referred to a renal nutrition specialist... here's what I did: I started aiming for 1000-2000 mg potassium, and 1500-2000 mg sodium, and doing just those two things made a HUGE difference (--still does! LOL)... Mind you, I don't always hit those numbers, but I do my best... Doing that is going to automatically reduce the amount of protein you're getting... but just because you need to fill in with carbs doesn't mean you can go crazy with them either! LOL

Set the weight loss goals you want for now (and reset them when you see that specialist!) and pay attention to the caloric limitations. Don't drop too low, or you will stop losing. I know that doesn't sound logical, but it's true! LOL

Again, any questions, PLEASE ASK! We're here to help each other... and I STILL ask questions too! LOL

Kathy

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm! P.S. I looked up enthusiasm, and it says the root words mean God within... interesting...!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

Awesome! I am sure it's going to be a learning experience! It gives me hope to hear that you and the Lady Mary both reversed your damage over time as I know both of you also suffer from diabetes. Is it just my arthritis, or is lower back pain a part of the Kidney disease as well? Terri

Wendy is a real star in our forum--such a sweetheart, and she is so courageous and fun... I love her, can you tell? LOL

You're part of the "family" now, too, and Wendy is absolutely right about change. Kidney disease changes all the time, as does the knowledge we need to keep up with it... so we're all busy making constant adjustments.

Don't hesitate to ask questions, and don't worry if they may seem silly or whatever--one of my professors in college told my class that the only stupid question is the one you DON'T ASK! lol

Welcome again... Kathy

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm! P.S. I looked up enthusiasm, and it says the root words mean God within... interesting...!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

hi, just take any advise you may get from the team. I am in Stage 5 and have been for nearly 3 years but I have not deteriorated any further. I went from stage 3 to 5 after losing part of my kidney from cancer. I am trying the best that I can. I am still not on dialysis. I do find that I change things all the time. That is the best advise I can give BE WILLING TO CHANGE AND LOOK AFTER YOURSELF

I am new to this forum but have been on Spark People for about 5 years in the Managing Diabetes Group. Thanks to the Lady Mary for telling me about your forum, and to Kathy for inviting me to join. I too visited a kidney specialist for the first time just 3 months ago, only to learn I have Stage 3 ESRD. It totally shocked me! And with Type 2 Diabetes, insulin dependent, I was totally lost about how I can manage low carbs as well as low protein. Thanks to Kathy for assuring me I can't! LOL But her terrific post on the different levels were very helpful and I am looking forward to learning from all of you and supporting any I can Terri

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